Treatment of gelatin



Patented Aug. 4, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TREATMENT OF GELATINcorporation of Delaware No Drawing. Application November 23, 1938,Serial No. 242,110

6 Claims.

This invention relates to a method for increasing the viscosity ofgelatin.

This application is a continuation in part of my application entitledTreatment of gelatin, Serial No. 117,031, filed December 21, 1936.

One of the objects of the invention is to increase the viscosity ofgelatin.

Another object of the invention is to improve the whipping qualities ofgelatin.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the description andclaims which follow.

It is known that the viscosity of gelatin may be increased by heatingand that the increase of viscosity which results from heating is securedat the expense of jelly strength.

I have found that the viscosity may be increased with consequentimproved whipping properties without substantial loss in bloom byheating gelatin to temperatures below the boiling point of water,preferably to a temperature of the order of but below 95 degreescentigrade since at the lower temperatures viscosity may be increasedwith a minimum loss of bloom, provided the heating is done in thepresence of ethyl alcohol,

In the preferred procedure for carrying out the present invention, thegelatin is refluxed with grain ethyl alcohol for relatively extendedperiods. I have found, for example, that gelatin refluxed with grainethyl alcohol for a period of twentyfour hours had a bloom of 213 and aviscosity of 6'7 as compared with the control sample jelly strength of229 and viscosity of 40.

I have also found that the beneficial efiect of treatment with ethylalcohol is not a mere function of the heating treatment since in onetest against the same control I precipitated gelatin from a gelatinsolution added to ethyl alcohol and secured a bloom of 245 and aviscosity of 45.

In the foregoing tests the grain ethyl alcohol which was employed had aconcentration of 95 per cent.

I have found that when gelatin is precipitated in alcohol or dry gelatinis refluxed with ethyl alcohol, the gelatin contains some hydrolyticproducts such as amino acids and peptones which are soluble in alcohol,and are removed from the gelatin which improves the quality of thegelatin.

In carrying out the refluxing process, it is preferable to employ acalcium chloride drying tube in order to prevent the alcohol fromabsorbing moisture from the air and thus reducing its concentration andeffectiveness,

It will be seen, therefore, that I have discovered that the viscosity ofgelatin may be imprvoed without substantial loss in jelly strength bytreating with ethyl alcohol either by refluxing dry gelatin in ethylalcohol or by precipitating gelatin from solution by adding the solutionto ethyl al cohol.

I claim:

l. The method of treating gelatin to increase the viscosity of thegelatin which comprises refluxing gelatin in the presence of grain ethylalcohol for a sufiicient period of time to substantially increase theviscosity of the gelatin.

2. The method of treating gelatin to increase the viscosity of thegelatin without substantially decreasing the bloom which comprisesheating dry gelatin in the presence of grain ethyl alcohol to atemperature approaching but below degrees C. and maintaining the driedgelatin at such temperature for a suflicient period of time to increasethe viscosity of the gelatin.

3. The method of treating gelatin to increase the viscosity of thegelatin without substantially decreasing the bloom which comprisesrefluxing dry gelatin in grain ethyl alcohol at a temperatureapproaching but below 95 degrees C. for about twenty-four hours.

4. The method of treating gelatin to increase the viscosity withoutsubstantially reducing the bloom of the gelatin which comprisesrefluxing gelatin in grain ethyl alcohol for a sufiicient period of timeto substantially increase the viscosity.

5. The method of treating gelatin to increase the viscosity of thegelatin which comprises heating dr gelatin in the presence of grainethyl alcohol for a sufiicient period of time to substantially increasethe viscosity of the gelatin.

6. The method of treatin gelatin to increase the viscosity of thegelatin which comprises refiuxing dry gelatin in grain ethyl alcohol forabout 24 hours.

EDWARD F. CHRISTOPHER.

